Birthday special: 10 interesting facts about Daniel Day-Lewis

Daniel Day-Lewis created history by becoming the first person to win three Oscars for Best Actor. On his 59th birthday today, we bring you 10 other interesting facts about the Hollywood star that you may not have known

1. In his early days, Daniel Day-Lewis developed his acting skills by aping the accent and mannerisms of his neighbours.

2. Daniel Day-Lewis had a small role in Richard Attenborough’s ‘Gandhi’. He played a character named Colin, a young man who insults Gandhi.

3. Apart from being a great actor, Daniel Day-Lewis is also a skilled woodworker.

Daniel Day-Lewis. Pic/AFP

4. He was offered the role of Aragorn (Strider) in Peter Jackson's ‘The Lord of the Rings’ trilogy more than once, but rejected it every time.

5. During the shooting of ‘Gangs of New York’ (2002), he listened to Eminem to get into the skin of his angry character -- Bill the Butcher.

6. Lewis won 23 awards for his performance in ‘There Will be Blood’; this included the Academy Awards.

7. Daniel Day-Lewis was the first non-American actor to win two Oscars for Best Actor.

8. Lewis was also considered for the role of Jesus Christ in the 2004 film ‘The Passion of the Christ’.